Bill Cheek - World Scanner Report

Publ isher/Edi tor ; W. D. Cheek, Sr. aka 0 dr. Rigornortis

V1N2: February, 1991

FEEDBACK FROM V1N1 The expiratioi date is clearly evident on your sailing label, too.

Though it is fairly obvious in leaning, here's an exaaple: say
It's too soon to really tell for sure, but judging froi the yours is, "91. 12". That leans your subscription expires in
feedback available so far, YOU appear to like the HSR well enough Decetber , 1991, which is the last issue you'll receive without a
to coie back for sore, and iuch, such lore is what you're going to renewal. "91.86" leans June, 1991, will be your last issue. Be
get! If you liked V1N1 , you'll be in ecstasy after a few issues! sure to renew as early as possible to avoid interrupted delivery!

Personally, I wasn't satisfied with V1N1, but accepted its short-
coiings as indicators for iiprovesent to coie. It will probably
be several lonths before I becose coifortable with the overall
scheie of things here. In the interii, I expect you to let le
know what you like and what you don't like. I will be throwing a
wide variety of aaterial at you until I gain a strong sense of
direction that will appeal to the lajority. But then, that's one
of our strong points anyway, diversity and flexibility!

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

Hake sure we have a filled in subscription blank froi you! There
are several areas on the sub blank that I take very seriously.
One is the Types of Equipnent in your lonitoring station. That
alone tells le a lot of what you want to read about. Another area
of significant leaning to le is your Career /Prof essio a. That
tells le soaething about the level on which I can couunicate to
you the technology of radio. Another iiportant area on the sub
blank is the Tears of Experience that you have in various aspects
of radio. This gives le a good idea of what you know and what you
don't know. So, if we don't have a completed sub blank froi you,
please send one as soon as possible. It's kind of like a vote.
We tend to rationalize that a single vote doesn't count for iuch,
but the aajority of voters get their way in our society.

There are other benefits of the infonation contained on the sub
blanks. For exaiple, now I can tell you that 65 1 of our readers
own a Realistic PRO-2004, PRO-2085 or a PRO-2886. Soie 6 l own a
BC-769XLT, while 38Z own soie kind of a Bearcat scanner. Catch ly
drift here? What you own, operate and list on the sub blank is
your vote! Keep us updated with your scanner equipient inventory!

YOUR SUBSCRIPTION NUHBER AMD EXPIRATION DATE

FEEDBACK FROH THE READERS

Henry Dragonetti of South Carolina writes, "Great job on the first
issue of the HSR Now I have a question for you: What happened to
the 520 HHz - 768 HHz lissing band in the PRO-2885 and how can I
get it back?"

Editor's Reply; Hell, Henry, nothing 0 happened 0 to that band .
The designers purposefully left it out, not only in the PRO-2995,
but also in its predecessor, the PRO-2994 and its successor, the
PRO-2996 . There are two reasons for this i (1) 529-769 HHz is the
UHF Television Broadcast band, Ch-22 to Ch-62. The designers
figure self-respecting scannists are not interested in Monitoring
television audio in their scanners . (2) The i ost iaportant reason
is technical, though . You see, scanners have to operate with
internally generated frequencies, which if nithin the detection
range of the receiver, w ould result in 0 birdies 0 galore . Since
the UHF Television Band is not of great interest to the scanning
hobby, the designers purposefully i ade the innards of the PR0-299x
w ork inside that 0 useless 0 band . For exanple, the 1st IF section
of the PR0-299x operates in the range of 697-612 HHz . Other
pertinent sections of the PR0-299x operate w ithin 559-563 HHz and
others around 636 HHz . Even if we could liberate 529-769 HHz,
(which we can't yet), it Mould be so chock full of interference,
noise, birdies and gunk that it Mould be Morthless. 529-769 HHz
is inaccessible in i ost other scanners as w ell, probably for the
sane reasons. If that band Mere included anynay, product revieMS
Mould be rather negative and sales Mould be iapacted. Thank you
for your interesting questioa and kind encouragenent! IBC

Steven Rogovich of Virginia writes, "I ai interested in antennas
for handheld scanners; upgrading to iiprove reception. I hear
there are iany available; but where froi?"

These are necessary evils, of course, for coiputer handling of the
drudgery that would otherwise lake us think twice about publishing
this newsletter. The nuabers are always printed on the top line
of the nailing label. PLEASE, lention your subscription nuiber in
any correspondence with us. Forget how complicated that nuiber
can be, because the part we're both interested in is the 4-digit
nuiber just to the LEFT of the deciaal point. The batch of
nuibers to the right of the deciial point is for internal stuff
like housekeeping and light change a time or two before we settle
on soaething peraanent. The coiputer will find things iuch faster
than we can without a nuaber. Never fear, though: YOU are not a
nuiber to us here; only to the coiputer! Even I ai a nuiber to
this wretched coiputer! But it has to be that way.

Editor's Reply; Mother good question/ There are several sources
for you to check out . Bob Grove of Grove Enterprises has
developed an iaproved antenna for handheld scanners. CRB Research
carries one that 1 hear is excellent, and Russell Industries takes
a wide line of antennas for handheld radios of all sorts, types
and kinds, fro a CB to scanner to Han. So check out all three: / BC

CRB RESEARCH BOOKS 6R0VE ENTERPRISES, INC.

PO BOX 56 148 DOG BRANCH RD

COHHACK, NY 11725 BRASSTOWN, NC 28902

784-837-9280

(Please turn to page 2)

RUSSELL INDUSTRIES, INC.

PO BOX 508; 3000 LAWSON BLVD
OCEANSIDE, NY 11572
516-536-5000

Harry Abery, Jr. of Connecticut asks about “tracking systems for
trunked 800 MHz systeas, etc ■

Editor's Reply; Harry, we're treading on dangerous ground here.
It seeas that the Electronic Coaaunications Privacy Act (ECPA) oi
1986 forbids the interception of data and coaaunications control
signals altogether. Therefore, any aarket for the hardware about
*hich you ask Mould tend to be illegitiaate and therefore either
non-existent or else under cover. 1 don't knoM of anything right
off, but in a related area, I understand there are so ae systeas
and software designed to help covert operators track cellular
aobile telephone calls as they are snitched fro i oie cell to
another. Hell, trunked radio systeas aren't so different, and it
is possible that data tracking systeas can be interchangeable to
an extent. 1 Mill keep an ear peeled and report on anything of
substance that cones to light. At the aoaeat, 1 understand the
cellular tracking device costs around $2,5##, so it nouldn't be
nithin the reach of the casual scannist. /SC

Clarence Wilken of Illinois wants “tech tips on scanner repairs,
aodif ications to aarine and coaaercial radios, cellular phones,
and cordless phones and older scanners such as the BC-250......*

Editor's Reply; ho problea on the technical tips and stuff on
repairing scanners. 1 don't think Me Mill branch too far off into
aarine and coaaercial radios, hoMever, and darned little on
telephones, be they cordless or cellular. For one thing, I don't
knoM a heck of a lot about the innards of cellular phones and it
Mould be as illegal as bank robbing to aonkey around Mith then.
There are two probleas Mith us getting into aodifying the older
scanners. One is that there's darned little that can be done to
then aiyway, especially in the digital departaent, and as for the
analog (RF/AF) sections, I Mould need the Service hanual and a
clear scheaatic diagraa in order to assess any potential there.
Service hanuals and scheaatics for the older scanners are tough,
if not doMnright iapossible to obtain. I aa not about to go to
the ti ae, trouble and expense of even trying to obtain this stuff
for the older scanners Mhen there's hardly a aarket aoyway. I
Mould be glad to evaluate the BC-25R and any other older scanner
for Modification potential, but I'll leave it up to YOU to acquire
for ae the scheaatic diagraas and the Service hanual first.

Cordless phones are so eleaeatary that Me could explore then fully
in just one issue of “THE WORLD SCANNER REPORT* at the risk of
irritating about 9§l of our readers, so Me Mon't do that. You can
iaprove the perfor nance of any cordless phone by extending the
length of its antenna/ Just unscreM the old one, and screw in or
adapt a longer one. If you are technically inclined, get the

Service hanual for the cordless phone, and give its transaitter a
good tuneup using a nearby field strength aeter as an indicator.
You could also use a scanner Mith an S-heter to indicate the
results of adjusting the transaitter coils. Those coils should be
tMeaked Mith the desired antenna in place and fully extended.

Hith a good peak alignaent and a longer antenna, you should be

able to double or triple the range of your cordless phone.

Just keep in aind that it aa y be illegal to do this ! /BC

Jerry Prus of New York writes, “Doc, I'a delighted to hear froa
you again! Please put as auch 11-aeter (CB) info into the HSR as
you can without getting into any trouble. 6ood luck!*

Editor's Reply: Greetings, Jerry! You were a long tiae

subscriber to ay old ELEVEN METER TIMES It JOURNAL, la fact, I
found an old SASE froa you laying around here that hadn't been
used, so I eaployed it to send you the NSR announceaent. Good to
hear froa you again after all these years/ I do plan to w ork in a
little CB Material, notably since 362 of our readers are CB’ers.
It woa’t be auch nor too bawdy like the EhTJ used to be, but I'll
see m hat Me can do! /BC

Richard Triller of Depew, New York asks for aaterial on "reducing
electrical interference, notch filters, scraablers It DVP/DES;
aeasuring signal loss in cables, filters, couplers, and reducing
interference froa “birdies* froa a neighbor's scanner.*

Editor's Reply? How, Richard, you pinpointed so ae aice targets
that Me Mill deal Mith in the coaing Months. For the tiae being,
keep an eye out for the availability of ay next book, the SCANNER
MODIFICATION HANDBOOK, Vol-2 f w hich Mill deal Mith soae of these
issues in extraordinary detail. I'll let you knoM Mhen the book
is available as 1 plan to sell autographed copies at ay facility.
For >ow, let's take a quick look at aeasuriag signal loss in
scanner accessories such as cables I peripheral devices ; a grand
project for the casual and dedicated scannist alike. You can buy
soae awfully expensive equipaent to do this or, you can use a
scanning receiver Mith an S-Reter at little or no expeise. I hat?
Your scanner doesi't bare an S-Reter? Right ; a ost don't. I have
developed three excellent S-lfeters for the PR0-2H4/5/6 and
possibly soae other scanners and these Mill be featured in ay aew
book as well. It's a ost unfair for ae to dwell oi aaterial in
advance of the book coaing out, but rest assured that Me' 11 deal
heavily Mith S-aeters in the coaing Months! Heaawbile, ho w do you
eaploy an S-aeter to Measure signal loss in coax cable, for
exaaple? Easy! Take a reading froa the S-aeter Mith a reference
signal / tbea change out the coax cable and take another reading.
The stronger of the two indicates the better or less lossy coax !
Apply the saie principle Mith other peripherals such as antennas,
antenna SMitchers, preaaps, etc. Ruch aore later! /BC

A PREAMPLIFIER FOR SCANNERS THAT ACTUALLY WORKS!

JAPAN INFORMATION MEDIUM (J.I.H.) has recently introduced four low
noise, wideband preaaps to Hobby Radio, the H-100, H-75, H-50 and
the H-2SS. All four actually work to the extent that the scanner
can receive auch better under certain conditions with thei than
without thea. The J.I.H. preaaps are aade in Japan and apparently
distributed by a sole supplier in England, the only source that I
have aanaged to locate at this tiae. For further inforaation
including prices and availability, contact:

Hr. Hike Devereux
Nevada Coaaunications
189 London Rd; North End
Portsaouth, Haapshire, England P02 9AE
Telephone: (0705) 662145

THE RORLB SCARRER REPORT* (c) 1991

V1R2 - Page 2

I have tested and evaluated the J.I.H. H-180 and M-75 low noise,
wideband SaAsFET preaaplifiers. Both units coae in sturdy,
attractive dark aetal cases. There's a good •feel" to thea and
they work! Here's the lowdown.

JIH H-180

Designed especially for transceivers, the H-100 has an RF-sense
bypass relay that aakes it suitable to work in line with a
transaitter. Of course, the H-100 can be used in receive-only
situations, too. The bypass relay has another very useful
function besides for transacting; it allows the preaap to be
turned off for non-aaplified reception! The heart of the M-100 is
a galliua arsenide field effect transistor (GaAsFET) for high gain
and a very low noise figure over its bandwidth of 24 KHz-2150 HHz.

were either aarginal or not detectable at all without the H-100 in
line. Effects of interaod and strong signal overload were
nonexistent for the aost part, but this was due, at least in part,
to the relative iaaunity of the PRO-2004 to these deaons. The
saae H-100, when connected to ay PRO-34 created a host of
objectionable side effects and interference, though reception was
notably iaproved under certain conditions.

I don't know if this applies to all H-100's or just ay test unit,
but there is a substantial insertion loss (6 to 10 dB) in ay unit
in the OFF or bypass aode. This is probably due to the
conventional relay used in the H-100, and it's a siaple fact that
VHF/UHF signals do not like to go through relay contacts. A
special RF relay would add substantially to the otherwise aoderate
cost, however, and the insertion loss is easily overcoae with the
Gain Control.

The H-100 can be powered by an internal 9-v battery or any
external 12 vdc source, such as an AC/DC adaptor or standard
autoaotive power. The H-100 sports a variable 6ain Control for a
range of -10 dB to *20 dB. The On/Off switch is on the Gain
Control. A standard feaale BNC connector is on the top of the
preaap for siaple connection of the antenna, and a aale BNC
connector is on the bottoa for easy connection to the scanner; no
adaptors or special fittings required for aost scanners. The
H-100 has a Bandpass Filter switch for selection of two filters
plus a straight-through non-filtered position. A saall LED
indicates when the preaap is turned on. Specifications of the JIH
H-100 are as follows:

Frequency Range:

Band Pass Filter (A):

Band Pass Filter (B):

Non Filtered (C):

Gain:

Noise Figure:

Input/Output Iapedance:

Transait frequency range:

Transait power liaits:

Current consuaption:

Internal 9v battery:

External 12v supply:

Size:

Height:

225 HHz to 1500 HHz
108 HHz to 185 HHz
24 HHz to 2150 HHz
-10 dB to *20 dB, adjustable
2 dB, approx
50 ohas

24 HHz to 500 HHz
5 watts, aax; 100 aU, ain

90-aa

185-aa

80aa H x 59aa W x 30aa D
110g/3.88oz, without battery

The JIH H-100 is functional for all aaateur (and land aobile)
handheld transceivers with up to five watts output and for all
VHF/UHF scanners. The current drain froa the battery is rather
high and will run a battery down in short order, so several spare
batteries for field operations are a aust. Any AC/DC adaptor
rated at 12v/100-aa will work fine to conserve battery usage where
AC power is available. Other external DC is ok, too.

The adjustable 6ain Control allows the H-100 to be used for an
Attenuator as well as an aaplifier which is an ideal feature far
saae receivers that can be easily overloaded.

The H-100 is useful for handheld and base scanners alike, but the
aale BNC output connector presents a ainor problea for base
scanners unless the preaap is connected directly to the rear of
the scanner where it is not very handy to operate. I fabricated a
special patch cable with a regular aale BNC connector on one end
for the scanner and a feaale BNC connector at the other end for
the output of the preaap. This allows the H-100 to be placed near
the front of the scanner for easier operation of the Bain and Band
Pass Filter controls. On the whole, and considering liaitations,
side effects and disadvantages, the J.I.H. H-100 is a welcoae
addition to ay aonitoring post. It allows ae to hear stations so
far away that it's iapossible to hear thea without the preaap.
That says soaething.

JIH H-75

The H-75 is probably the better deal for scannists who have no use
for transacting. The H-75 does not have an RF Bypass Relay like
the H-100, but otherwise is identical in perforaance and
specifications. It costs less, but looks and perforas the saae as
the H-100, with one notable exception. Since there is no RF
Bypass Relay, when the unit is turned off, signals cannot get
through, therefore it aust be turned ON at ail tiaes the scanner
is in operation. Current drain is a little less in the H-75 at
70-aa. The Band Pass Filters, the Gain Control and the internal
electronics are otherwise the saae as in the H-100, so the
non-bypass liability can be acceptable given the lower cost of the
unit. Like the H-180, the H-75 really works, often draaatically,
providing signals with full quieting froa well beyond 100 ailes.

JIH H-50

I have not seen this unit; only a press release and a photo. It
does not appear to have a gain control nor the Band Pass Filters,
and the specified bandwidth is 25 HHz to 1300 HHz. It would
appear that the H-50 is GaAsFET based, so its perforaance should
be better than nothing under soae conditions.

JIH H-200

I did not test the H-100 with a transaitter so I can't offer an
opinion there. In a word, it worked very well for receiving
purposes. Using ay Turbocharged PRO-2004, there were aany signals
received froa distances of 100-150 ailes with full quieting that

I have not seen this unit, either, but a press release says the
H-200 is a base station version of the H-75! If equal in all
other respects, this could be the unit to watch for!

THE HORLD SCAHHER REPORT' ( c ) 1991

V1H2 - Page 3

EDITOR'S NOTE; It seems that everybody and his brother has a
preamplifier on the market for scanners now. You have to BENARE
since there is a lot of high technology that has to go into mhat
seems to be just a simple preamp . Preamps for shortxave radios
are old hat and can be fabricated by the greenest novice , but the
story is totally different for VRF-UNF receivers ! Bain is not so
important as LOR NOISE and tide BANDN1DTN/ host of the preamps 1
have seen offered on the domestic (ISA market do not appear to be
worth your time and money . I have tested a fen to confirm this
suspicion . 1 can, nithout hesitation, say that the JIB N-199 and
fl-75 preamps perform nell beyond my minimum expectations for
scanner preamps ! 1 nish I could offer you a domestic source to
obtain them, but NEVADA C0HHUN1CAII0NS appears to be the sole
outlet . Nan y readers might be reluctant to trade nith a foreign
country, but NEVADA is one of England’s largest radio facilities
and all my dealings nith them have been favorable . NEK4D4
C0NNUN1CATI0HS accepts Visa and Baster Cards for payment, but your
card company will charge currency exchange fees on top of the
actual purchase amounts 1 do not plan to stock these preamps
because of high inventory and purchase costs, but if there are
enough of you readers who want one of these units, I will consider
accepting special orders and then place a single guantity order .
Contact *e if interested . I cannot guote prices at this time, but
expect something like $ 175 for the N-299; $150 for the N-199; $125
for the #-75; and $100 for the N-59, though these are nothing more
than guesses at this time .

ft SHOOTOUT BETWEEN THE PRO-2995 AND THE AR-38M

by "Professor Peabody"

Rocky and Bui 1 winkle aay be old and graying but l'i still around
and deep into scanners now. It was with great expectations and
enthusiasa for a new toy that I eagerly awaited the arrival of an
AR-3000 to ay station. Ripping and tearing open the box, I found
a saall, lightweight scanner with a sloped front and a gray paint
job on a plastic case. I used a digital aultiaeter (ohaceter) to
see if the paint was conductive as an RFI shield, but to ay dismay
it was not. Modern radios such as the PRO-2005 and the AR-3000
are so sensitive that strong local signals can penetrate the
plastic cases into the RF section and run totally aaok causing
havoc. Soaehow the AR-3000 was less sensitive to local signal
interference. I plugged it into power and turned it on. Then
without looking at the aanual, I pushed buttons, cranked dials and
twisted knobs to deteraine if it could be intuitively operated.

Hopelessly aired down with no idea as to how it worked, I resorted
to the aanual. Keyboard operation is coaplicated and cuabersoae.
As I loaded in 90 active ailitary freqs I aade about 40 aistakes.
With practice correcting the aistakes, I got a little better at
it. Now able to scan through soae freqs I found it to be very
sensitive. Signals on the PRO-2005 that were very weak or barely
audible on AM were loud and clear on the AR-3000. Scanning with
an earphone, I found an annoying cl ickety-clack every tiae a new
channel was scanned through. I suraised that not enough internal
shielding peraitted data transfers around the aicroprocessor to
aake noise spikes in the RF section. Not good. In the SEARCH
MODE, the saae thing happened. The SCAN/SEARCH rate is up to 20
ch/sec. Large gaps in frequency, approxiaately 20 MHz caused the
aicroprocessor to slow down and increase the acquisition tiae,
whereas ay PRO-2905 zips along at 39 ch/sec and doesn't hesitate

to acquire weak signals. (My PRO-2005 is supercharged with a
PRO-2006 CPU at 18 MHz.) Even at 45 ch/sec, it doesn't fail to
lock onto weak signals. Why is the AR-3000 so slow?

The AR-3000 has 408 aesories which is sufficient for cost scanning
needs. More cecory channels can be added by cocputer control and
storage, but the radio's cecory is organized into four banks of
180 each and they are not linkable. So you're licited to working
with 100 channels at a tiae. If you're accustoced to or need aega
cecory, there will be a serious problec.

Audio in the AR-3000 was another drawback. The PRO-2005 has an
upward facing speaker and it uses the cabinet as a speaker box so
decent sound is heard. Nith both radios tuned to the saae
broadcast FM station the PRO-2005 clearly had better audio than
the bottoa firing AR-3000.

Both radios suffer froc a too wide AM/NFM IF section. Adjacent
channel interference is noticeable on both. A look inside the
AR-3000 reveals three horizontally stacked boards in a shelf
arrangecent. Very difficult to codify anything. The PRO-2005 can
be easily codified as there is plenty of space for cod boards and
all can be accessed with a cinicuc of difficulty. So if you
wanted to change the 455 KHz IF filters for better selectivity, it
can be done quite nicely on the PRO-2004/5/6. Virtually
iapossible in the AR-3000.

A nice feature in the AR-3000 is a prograccable attenuator for
each channel. The PRO-2005 has a cost inconvenient rear counted
slide switch that allows a flat 10 db of attenuation. 108 KHz to
30 MHz, AM reception in the AR-3000 is cocprocised by the afore-
mentioned IF filter. You can easily listen to two stations at the
sace tiae. A prograccable or even a manual selectable wide/narrow
IF switch would be very appropriate for this radio. In CN or
sideband code, a narrow filter is used with very good results.
While searching the HF bands you can't change codes froc AM to
sideband, for example, without reentering the search paraceters
and restarting froc the band edge. Very annoying... but again, the
AR-3000 is still very sensitive on the HF bands, but lacks the
selectivity on AM. The Radio Shack DX-440 blows the AR-3880 away
in perforcance. So, the AR-3000 is an ok scanner, with problems,
but is a mediocre shortwave receiver. The question is, "Is this
radio worth $1,008?" I think not! Is it state of the art? In ay
opinion, no. You eight be better off spending the extra $690 on a
real shortwave receiver and buying a JIM M-180 or M-75 preamp for
your PRO-2084/2805/2006 scanner.

As a final note, the friendly and helpful people on the phone at
Ace Cocaunications, which sells the AOR line of scanners, offer a
25 day coney back guarantee. I took thee up on it and returned the
AR-3000. Till we ceet again: "Professor Peabody".

EDITOR'S NOTE: In all fairness to ACE Communications and to the
AR-3009 scanner, I think one person’s perspective does not convey
the w hole story . I how very little about the AR-3999, but w hat 1
do how suggests that it was designed to operate nith assistance
of a computer . I doubt that its capabilities and performance can
be fully appreciated by strictly manual operation . So far, only
one of our readers actually owns an AR-3999, but maybe he mill
contribute another perspective for you . No w about it, Bill Fox?

UE NORLD SCANNER REPORT 9 (c) 1991

V1N2 - Page 4

ACCESSING THE L06IC/CPU BOARD OF THE PRO-2M5 t PRO-2886

If you are a serious hacker and own either a PRO-2835 or a
PRO-2806, you will need to crawl inside that intiaidating front
panel sooner or later. Whether you want to speed up the scanner;
add 6,000 channels of extra aetory, or install soae LEDs, jacks or
switches in the front panel, you are siaply going to have to yank
that circuit board froi its aounting place inside that front
panel. At a glance, the process appears to be aost fearsoae to
the casual observer. It really isn't so bad, however, and here's
how you do it. Keep this section handy as the aonths go by,
because I'd like to not repeat it again and there will be a nuaber
of aodifications for the PR0-2805/6 which will require access to
the front panel. In future projects, I will refer you back to the
procedure below for the steps to get that Logic/CPU Board out of
it's secure doaain to where you can aeddle with it.

1. Disconnect the PRO-2005 froa AC or DC power. Reaove the top
and bottoa cases froa the chassis.

2. Disconnect all wires and cable bundles that go froa the front
panel asseably to the wain circuit board.

NOTE: there ere six (6) cable bundles I connectors to be
disconnected froa the top side of the scanner, and one cable
bundle 6 connector on the bottoa side of the scanner .

NOTE: if you do not wish to lose what has been prograaaed
into aeaory, this operation can still be safely done as
further described, except be sun the Niaory detention Battery
is good and left it its coaaartaeat on the rear of tie
scanner. Furtheraore, do not disconnect the large 15-pin
connector I cable bundle » Cl- 3 . Leaxe it connected to the
Nain Board, but go ahead and disconnect all other cable
connectors.

Disconnect the two ground straps that go froa the Logic/CPU
Board to the bottoa side of the scanner chassis.

NOTE: All cable connectors and ground straps Mill disconnect
froa the nain circuit board ; NOT froa the Logic/CPU Board .

3. Reaove four (two on each side) countersunk aachine screws froa
the sides of the front panel that secure it to the aain
chassis. Gently, pull the front panel asseably away froa the
scanner until it coaes free.

4. Desolder froa the chroae aetal shield the saall bare ground
wire that goes to the area by the VOLUME control. Desolder it
at the chroae aetal shield and push this wire out of the way.

5. Reaove the six saall screws that secure the Logic/CPU Board
inside the front panel.

6. Face the inside of the front panel placed in an upright
position, and locate the white 13-pin connector (CN-581) at
the upper left corner of the printed circuit board. This
connector doesn't have any wires and doesn't look like a
connector at first, but that's what it is. Place a saall flat
blade screwdriver under that connector and gently pry upward.
The entire Logic/CPU Board will slip up froa the plastic front
panel and coae loose in your hands. Handle the board by its
edges or by the chroae aetal shield only and lay the Logic/CPU
Board aside near the scanner chassis. It will be just fine.

7. Desolder the chroae aetal shield at six places around the
printed circuit board and lift it up and off the board.

NOTE: This is not coaplicated, and is fairly easy to do with
a »ediui wattage soldering iron . Apply upward pressure with
your fingers while the shield is heated at each leg . As the
solder aelts, that leg of the shield Mill slip upvard and pop
free.

This coapletes the steps required to reaove the Logic/CPU Board
froa its aounting location inside the front panel. You aay have
to perfora this procedure aany tiaes throughout your ownership of
the PRO-2805/6. You flight as well get coafortable with it. To
reinstall the Logic/CPU Board into the front panel, siaply reverse
the process given above. Here are a few concerns for the reversal
that need to be highlighted as follows:

A. After you've resoldered the six aetal legs of the chroae
shield back to the printed circuit board, don't forget to
resolder that bare ground wire froa the VOLUME CONTROL area
back to the chroae aetal shield. While you're at it, Bake
sure that this ground wire does not touch any of the pins of
the VOLUME CONTROL. Bend it slightly, if necessary.

B. Be careful when slipping the Logic/CPU Board back onto the
pins of Connector CN-501. Make sure they line up before
exerting any downward pressure.

C. As the Logic/CPU Board is pressed back down onto CN-501, keep
an eye on the front panel to ensure that the SOUND SQUELCH and
DIMMER controls protrude through their respective holes
without binding up. Also observe the SOUND SQUELCH LED to
ensure that it is aligned with its hole in the front panel.

6ET THE SERVICE MANUAL FOR YOUR SCANNER!

Just as you wouldn't atteapt to change a flat tire on your car
without a jack and a lug wrench, you better not aonkey around in
your scanner (or other electronic equipaent) unless you have the
Service Manual for your guide! I rarely bother to even look
around inside a scanner unless I have the Service Manual handy.
Another thing is even aore certain: I won't bother to assist or
guide you with soae technical aspect of your equipaent unless YOU
and I both have a copy of the Service Manual! Now that’s all
there is to it; I aa adaaant; ornery, and persnickety when it
coaes to not having the Service Manual.

I eaphasized this need throughout both ay SCANNER MODIFICATION
HANDBOOKS and will continue to do so here. A Service Manual is an
essential tool for your technical excursions around the real
estate of your equipaent. It is vital and necessary, so don't
pooh pooh it away siaply because getting one involves a little
tiae and ainor expense. You went to tiae and expense to get your
scanner, now didn't you? The Service Manual is every bit as
isportant as the scanner itself. Unless you will absolutely never
take the case off. I aay relent in that instance. If you ever

need ay assistance in a technical aatter involving your scanner
and any of ay books or articles here, it will usually be freely
given on the condition that you have the Service Manual and if I
don't have one, that you send ae a clean, clear copy of yours.
Also, I will not ordinarily render a professional opinion of the
aodifiability of a given scanner unless we both have a copy of the

TNE Mid SCANNER REPORT' (c) 1991

I1N2 - Page 5

Service Manual. Here is a list of the «anuals currently in ay TRICKS, HINTS, TIPS l KINKS DEPARTMENT

files, so you need not bother sending one of these:

PRO-2006

PRO-2005

PRO-2004

PRO-2003

PRO-2024

PRO-2022

PRO-2021

PRO-2021

PRO-32

PRO-31

PRO-34

PRO-2002

BC-400XLT

BC-560XLT

BC-200/205XLT

BC-760/950XLT

Please don't confuse the Service Manual with the Owner's Manual ,
which doesn't help ae help you whatsoever. He both need the
Service Manual and here is where you can get thea:

BEARCAT (UNIDEN)

6345 CASTLEHAY COURT
INDIANAPOLIS IN 46250

317-842-0280

TANDY NATIONAL PARTS (REALISTIC)
900 E. NORTHSIDE DR
FT. NORTH TX 76106

800-442-2425 & 817-870-5600

REGENCY ELECTRONICS, INC.

7707 RECORDS ST

INDIANAPOLIS IN 46226

317-545-4281

UNIDEN CORPORATION OF AMERICA
6345 CASTLEHAY CT
INDIANAPOLIS IN 46250

317-842-0280 fc 800-428-5340

THE RIGHT TOOLS FOR THE JOB : Radio Shack and other electronic
suppliers offer a wide line of electronic tools and supplies to
help you in your hacking and surgical efforts. They don't carry
everything that you light need froi tiae to tiae, however. There
is another excellent source for special purpose tools that I'd
like to tell you about: DENTAL SUPPLY FIRMS! Say what?

Hell, yes, dental tools can have superior application to the
electronic hacker! How about that little lirror the dentist
shoves into your aouth? Excellent for peeking around inside your
scanner where you can't see very well! Then, perhaps best of all,
are those poky things that hurt like hell that the dentist uses to
scrape the plaque off your teeth! I don't know what they're
called, but those tools are sure great for scraping solder flecks
from circuit boards and they're excellent for cutting circuit
traces on PC board! Dental plaque scrapers have a super sharp
scraping edge and co*e in a variety of shapes, sizes and styles,
with neat little crooks, bends and zig-zags so that you can reach
just about any elusive corner in your scanner!

UNIDEN CUSTOMER SERVICE
9900 HEST POINT DRIVE
INDIANAPOLIS IN 46250

317-842-1036 It 800-428-5340

ICOM AMERICA, INC.

1777 PHOENIX PKNY; SUITE 201

ATLANTA GA 30349

404-nnn-nnnn

ICOM AMERICA, INC.

2112 - 116th NE

BELLVIEH HA 98004

206-454-7619

UNIDEN/RE6ENCY PARTS DEPARTMENT
9900 HEST POINT DRIVE
INDIANAPOLIS IN 46250

317-842-1036 It 800-428-5340

ICOM AMERICA, INC.

3150 PREMIER DR; SUITE 126
IRVINE TX 75063

214-550-7525

ICOM CANADA, INC.

3071 - 15 ROAD

RICHMOND, BC, CANADA V6X 2T4

nnn-nnn-nnnn

Another neat dental tool is THEEZERS! Yeah, I know, you can buy
tweezers just about anywhere, but they're all worthless. Dental
tweezers have a superior feel to thea and a superior grip! Then
there are surgical scalpels; you know, the sharp knives they use
to cut your guas with. Also in a variety of styles and shapes,
surgical scalpels coae with a peraanent handle and disposable
blades. You can buy one or two handles and a variety of blades,
soae curved one way, soae the other; soie straight and soae
diagonal. These surgical scalpels are superior to *xacto u knives
and such, such sharper! They'll not only split a hair, but also
will split the split hair! You can use 'ei to slice warts and
sioles if you can't find anything to cut in your scanner! If
you're a serious hacker, it light behoove you to pay a visit to
your local dental supply coipany and ask to see their hand tools!

KENHOOD USA CORPORATION
2201 E. DOMINGUEZ ST
L0N6 BEACH CA 90801

213-639-9000 / 213-639-7140

ACE COMMUNICATIONS (AOR)

10707 E. 106th STREET
INDIANAPOLIS IN 46256

800-445-7717 It 317-842-7115

YAESU-MUSEN USA
17210 EDHARDS ROAD
CERRITOS CA 90701

213-404-2700

FOX TECHNOLOGY/MARKETING, INC.
4518 TAYLORSVILLE RD
DAYTON OH 45424

513-236-3591

DYNASCAN CORPORATION (COBRA) These are all the coipanies and
6460 H. CORTLAND addresses that I have available
CHICAGO IL 60635 for the scanner aanufacturers
312-889-8870 It 800-262-7222 at the present tiie. If you

have knowledge of other ifgrs
or error corrections for the above, your input will be highly
appreciated. I keep and aaintain an extensive data base of the
entire Hobby Radio Industry in which the above is only a tiny
part. I do not know where to get Service Manuals for scanners
froi defunct coapanies such as J.I.L., Tennelec, Fairaate, etc.
If you have inforaation of this nature, it would be appreciated.
I will be printing considerable Source and Supply inforaation over
the cosing issues, so your input is always valuable!

PANEL LISHTIN6 FAILURE IN THE PRQ-2884/5/6/21/22: Much to ay
chagrin, about a year ago, I observed the blue backlighting in the
LCD Display of ay PRO-2004 to be getting diner and diner with
the passage of tiae. I had no idea, initially, of the cause, and
was soiewhat intiaidated about the prospects of looking into it.
The eanner in which I had installed a nuaber of aodifications in
ay PRO-2004 pretty auch sade it a total hassle to get to the
inside of the LCD/Display Board where the backlight was located.
Finally, a few aonths ago, the backlight went out altogether.
That aotivated ae to find out why.

Right off, I ordered a brand new plastic front panel for the
PRO-2004 and then redesigned the physical installation scheae of
all ay aodifications so that things could be accessed better.
That necessitated tearing down the scanner to bare bones and
practically rebuilding everything back up froi the ground floor.
Turned out to be a rewarding project, but back to the subject.
Once I was able to reiove the LCD/Display Board froi inside the
front panel, one cause of the backlight failure was obvious: a
quantity of aetal filings had collected over the years around the
oscillator transforaer, T-731. Residual lagnetisa had polarized
those particles which eventually shorted out the transforaer
terainals and therefore caused the backlight to go out.

THE mid SCMHER REPORT' (c) 199 1

mi - Pige 6

7 IE NORLO SCANNER REPORT ' (c) 1991

V1N2 - Page 7

A good cleaning job got rid of the aetal particles, but to ay
disaay, the backlight, though restored, was still very, very dia.
Circuit tests and analysis didn't disclose any other problea, so I
reasoned the fault to be a weak "Electroluainescent Panel 1 , a
rectangular, flat slip of plastic that fits behind the glass LCD
Display unit. This EL Panel appeared to contain soae sort of
cheaicals sealed within the plastic and two wires protruded froa
the end of the panel. A quick check of the Service Manual yielded
the part nuaber and I ordered one froa Tandy's National Parts
Center in Ft. North, Texas. Replaceaent of the new EL Panel
resulted in a noraal brilliance of the backlighting again!

Since then, I have encountered several other PRO-2004 '5 and now a
PRO-2005 with very dia backlighting. Replaceaent of the EL panels
restored the brilliance to noraal. I have also talked with
another scanner technician, Bob Nhiston, of Colorado, who had
independently deterained the saae problea and repair of these EL
Panels. Ne think that the cheaical compound probably weakens with
age and use and requires periodic replaceaent. There does seea to
be a connection with age of the units. So, the bottoa line is
that your PRO-2004, 2005, 2006, 2022, 2021 or any other with a
backlight for the LCD Display will probably require a new EL Panel
at soae tiae or another. Replaceaent is not difficult, but first
you have to have the part which can be ordered froa Tandy National
Parts Center in Ft. North, the address and phone nuaber of which
are given elsewhere in this issue. Have a credit card handy and
give the person to whoa you speak the following info for your rig:

SCANNER

CAT NO.

PART NUMBER

PART DESCRIPTION

CKT SYMBOL

PRO-2004

20-119

6E-85D-6067

Electroluainescense

EL-701

PRO-2005

20-144

6E-88D-7738

Electroluainescent

EL-501

PRO-2006

20-145

6E-B8D-7738

Electro Luainescent

EL-501

PRO-2022

20-127

BE-88D-7889

Electroluainescent

EL-501

PRO-2021

20-113

BE-85D-6067

Electro Luainescence

EL-1

These EL panels cost around $11 or so, a bit steep, but there are
few alternatives. As your scanner ages, it aight be a good idea
to order a couple for spares, just in case. Anyway, now that you
have a replaceaent part, what to you do with it? Nell, you'll
have to access the LCD Display unit, which usually aeans reaoving

soaething froa inside the front panel. Nith the PRO-2004, -2022
and 2021, the procedure is rather self-evident. In the PRO-2005
and 2006, the instructions are given elsewhere in this issue.

Once you can see the LCD Display unit, you'll see a creaa colored
flat, rectangular plastic card that fits in a pair of grooves
behind the LCD Display unit. There will be two wires, usually
white and orange, that cose off this plastic card and solder to
the nearby circuit board. Desolder those two wires and let thea
hang free. This plastic EL Panel is sort of ceaented on the wire
end to the LCD Display aodule. The ceaented seal has to be broken
first, best done with a sharp blade and then the EL Panel will
slide right out. The new one goes in the saae way; (new ceaent
not necessary), resolder the two wires; reinstall the LCD Board
back into the front panel. The backlighting will be fully
restored and should last for another couple of years or so,
depending on how often you use your scanner!

The question arises as to why LEDs or soae other aore reliable
backlighting scheae wasn't used? Current drain is the aost likely
reason, I think. My tests indicate that these EL Panels and their
driver circuits draw around 20-aA at the aost. A single LED,
which offers practically no light, will draw that auch or aore!
So the several LEDs that would be required for adequate lighting
would draw a lot aore current than the EL Panel for the saae
aaount of light. The saae reasoning underlies why incandescent
panel laaps were not used; current drain, not to aention a
distinct unreliability of incandescent bulbs. The EL Panel seeas
like the best of several evils, but shaae on thea for being so
age/failure prone!

Do any of you Readers have a suggestion for a low current, bright
backlighting scheae for the PRO-200X and PRO-202x scanners?

ANOTHER DIFFERENCE BETNEEN THE PRQ-2805 and PRO-2006

Back in May, 1990, when the PRO-2006 arrived, I gave its scheaatic
diagraa a cursory coaparison with the PRO-2005 '5 and deterained
that the two were essentially the saae radio. The few differences
I spotted right off were the CPU, IC-501, and the Clock Resonator,

2333333233333333333333333333333333333333383322332223332223233223333323232332333323333333332333333233X333223333233333333333323233333333832:

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m mo» msum m optional m mi help as help you/

RADIO INTERESTS? (Put YEARS OF EXPERIENCE in each block that applies)
VHF-UHF Aeateur CB Shortwave Professional

Scanning? Radio? Radio? Listening? Radio?

Career /Profession

Or Occupation:

List the sake & lodel of your scanners and other radio equipeent:

List the lake i sodel of any coaputer equipment you own/operate:

Single copy, per issue $4.00
1991 (6 ios,Jan-June) $15.00
1991 (1 yr) Jan-Dec $25.00
1991-92 (2 yrs) $45.00

$4 surf/$5 Air
$17 surf/$22 Air
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ME M DEhllTAHCE PAYABLE TO: 'COHKTMHICS EH6IHEE/IIW
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CX-581 . All other circuits appeared to be identical.

THE HQHLD SCMHEH REPMT' (c) 1991

V1H2 - Page 8

Hell, they still are virtual twins, and the CPU It Clock reaain the
essential difference but Bore has coae to light now. I have since
found a tiny LMOS bilateral switch chip, IC-10, positioned between
Pins 12 St 14 of IC-2. The Service Manual does not offer auch of
any info on IC-10, though it is shown on the scheaatic diagraa and
in the Parts List as a TC4S66F. IC-10 is in the general location
where the well known Squelch Iaproveaent, MQD-4, is aade to the
PRO-2004/5/6 as well as aany other radios! The presence of IC-10,
a tiny surface aounted chip in the PRO-2006 eluded ae for a tiae
until I perforaed the Squelch Iaproveaent for a client and the
circuit board patterns just didn't aatch up with what I was
faailiar. Sure enough, the PRO-2006 is a little different in this
area coapared to the PRO-2004 It 2005.

This new IC-10 is a bilateral switch that is triggered by the
scanner's MUTE function, an internal signal that silences the
speaker when SQUELCH is set and/or when the unit is SCANning or
SEARCHing. I really haven't figured out why the designers put it
in there as a new addition for the PRO-2006, but it doesn't seea
to be of any consequence if eliainated for the Squelch Iaproveaent
(MOD-4). The approach to MOD-4 for the PRO-2006 will be a little
different, though, so refer below to the SCAMMER MODIFICATION
HAMDBOQK CORNER for details of how to handle it.

SCAMMER MODIFICATION HANDBOOK CORNER

MOD-4: Iaprovinq Squelch Action! PRQ-2004/5/6

PRO-2004: No Change - see last aonth, V1N1

PRO-2005: No Change - see last aonth, V1M1

PRO-2006: A bilateral LMOS switch has been found to exist between
Pins 12 and 14 of IC-2. Therefore the procedure to
iaprove the Squelch action will differ a little froa
that for the PRO-2004 and -2005. There are several
approaches, but I suggest the one as follows:

(A) Using a saall, narrow tipped diagonal cutting pliers, snip Pin
14 of IC-2. This will be done froa the top side of the aain
receiver board. Snip Pin 14 halfway between the body of IC-2
and the plane of the circuit board where it is soldered.
Gently bend upward the cut pin at the body of IC-2 to separate
the cut.

(B) Solder a pair of flexible, fine hookup wires to the cut ends
of Pin 14, IC-2.

(0 Solder a 150-k to 200-k triaaer potentioaeter to the hookup
wires installed in (B) above. Adjust the triaaer pot for
desired squelch "tightness". HOTE: if the tri » pot has three
leads f solder o»e hookup wire to its Middle lead and the other
Hire to either end lead.

You can hunt for this IC-10 in the PRO-2006 all day long and never
find it! It's hidden away on the bottoa side of the aain circuit
board just underneath and slightly forward of IC-2. IC-10 is
hardly bigger than a resistor, and in fact, looks soaewhat like
those tiny chip resistors around the vicinity. IC-10 has five
pins, In, Out, Ground, ♦ Power, and a trigger to switch it on and
off. It is nothing acre than a switch, though. In practice,
IC-10 switches R-152 in and out between Pins 12 It 14 of IC-2.
Hhen the receiver is auted, IC-10 is turned off to open the path
between Pins 12 It 14 of IC-2. When the Squelch breaks and sounds
coae out of the speaker, IC-10 switches on to connect R-152
between Pins 12 It 14. In the PRO-2004, -2005 and other scanners,
there is a peraanent, unswitched connection via a resistor between
Pins 12 It 14, so the value of IC-10 reaains unclear. One thing is
certain: IC-10 in the PRO-2006 is not an iaportant change.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSasSSSSSSSSSSSSSSISiSSSSSSlSMSSSiSS

HOTE: The above approach is probably the best one if you caa find
a way to nount the tr inner pot so that it doesn't interfere
with anything. If you are good at nicrosurgery, you night be
able to solder the tri n pot directly to the cut ends of Pin
14, IC-2/ That Mould be a classy job and involve no Mires/

Another way you could do MOD-4 to your PRO-200 is to angle a
dental plaque scraper in through the hole in the chassis below
IC-2 and slit the circuit trace that goes to Pin 14 froa IC-10.
Then froa above, solder a 200-k trie pot directly to Pins 14 and
12 of IC-2. Just beware that this aethod effectively reaoves IC-10
froa the circuit whereas the first aethod above retains IC-10 in
circuit and active for soae as yet unknown purpose. In other
words, I have done it both ways and really can't tell any
differences yet. (The purpose of IC-10 is rather aysterious.)

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa:

COMMTRONICS ENGINEERING
WORLD SCANNER REPORT
PO BOX 262478
SAN DIEGO, CA 92196-2478

V1N2

910124

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